As Coco Chanel once said “ A woman who does not use perfume has no future” I agree with this somewhat as every woman should own at least 1 perfume but choices are tough with so many on the market you walk into the fragrance section and you are bombarded with millions of fragrance to test and try. I know how you feel as that was me before I started blogging I had a system where I only tested a scent if I liked the way the bottle looked now I realise that wasn’t the right way. I’ve divided this into 2 parts as if I had to do it all it would be extremely long and I know my readers like it short and to the point. The second part will cover some other perfumes that I’m really loving and also I answer the questions you guys have asked me about perfumes. People often talk about finding your signature scent but I don’t believe in this, with so many options I don’t think a person needs to limit it to 1. My preference changes depending on my mood, weather and time of day so it is very personal.

Lately in South Africa it is currently spring but we are having temperatures in the 30s so it feels like summer already. Spring is all about the flower power so naturally it would be floral scents.

• Boucheron Quatre Femme EDP

Boucheron is a jewellery designer therefore all fragrances take inspiration from a piece of jewellery. This one in particular is inspired by the white edition quatre ring which is mimicked by the top of the bottle. The Quatre ring (as shown on the box) consists of 4 pillars as emphasised by the name quatre which means 4 try to capture light and crystalise an emotion that oozes elegance, sophistication, impertinence and affirmation. Many celebs like Carine Roitfeld, Emma Watson, Lily Allen, Beyonce, Salma Hayek and Tomer Sisley have been spotted wearing this ring. The ring is a timeless piece blending colours, metals, stones and engraving effects to create an element of surprise.

Boucheron Quatre femme is assertive and contemporary. Fragrance is an expression balance between modernity and heritage, innovation and tradition, rock/shock and chic. Elegant, strong, inhibited and bold.

The bottle is such a master piece it begs to be looked at. The bottle is heavier than other perfumes as it is made from heavy solid glass with touches of rose gold and white enamel. The bas is also really special, it is chiselled with the double Gordon’s motif. The cap also very unique it doesn’t come off but twists up and down to open and close which emphasises the modern architectural tone of the design.

Notewise: The fruity top notes are bitter orange essence, brazil green mandarin essence orpur, red currant sparks and wild strawberry. The floral heart notes are sambac jasmine absolute, rose absolute, pétalia(this is a very unique rose scent with a touch lychee). The base is golden woods, cedar, orpur, cashmeran and musk.

This is my fav out of the 4 I would classify this as a fruity floral but it actually smells more floral than fruity I will appreciate this as many fragrances can’t get the balance right and the fruits end up overpowering the flower notes. Also that they used strawberry as a note as I don’t often see them used but it’s a really nice note to use. The rose and the strawberry notes are most prominent and I don’t really pick up the woody base notes at all. When I wear it feels feminine with a touch of sexy.You can find this at Stuttafords and Dis-chem 30ml for R695, 50ml-R895 and 100ml-R1195.

• Oscar de la Renta Flor EDP

This fragrance was inspired by the Oscar’s love for gardens. Notewise up top is lychee, neroli (which is the flower from the bitter orange tree which is sweet and spicy) and ivy. The heart is made up of jasmine, mango and peony. And ends off with musk, tonka beans (I’ve never seen this in a scent but basically it smells strong and spicy) and cassis (also have never seen this note but basically this is just another name for black currant). It is classified as a citrus floral musk.

The bottle design is exactly the same as the it’s big sister with was just called Oscar with sleek feminine contours but it smells nothing like it’s big sister it only shares the muskiness but even then it is subtle. You can definitely tell that this one is more youthful, fresh and lively, most likely targeting younger women.

I see a strong, feminine and elegant woman will be able to carry such a scent. The most prominent notes are lychee, musk, neroli and tonka beans. I wouldn’t classify this as a floral as the name suggests but more of a fruity with a hint of floral.You can find this at Truworths, Stuttafords and Dis-chem for 100ml for R995 and 30ml for R595.

• Oscar de la renta extraordinary EDP

This fragrance was inspired by Oscar’s love of bows based on the dress worn by Taylor Swift in her music video blank space. The bottle looks really pretty it resembles a star. The top notes are neroli ( which was the same as flor) and cherry blossom. Heart notes include peony, rose and magnolia flower. The base notes are vanilla, woods and amber. It is classified as a sparkling floral woody.

It smells light floral and very feminine. The neroli and vanilla are very prominent. The vanilla gives it that sweet creamy scent. Oscar de la Renta extraordinary starts very fresh and sweet and dries down to something more creamy. It is floral for most of the time with a hint of passion fruit ( even though this isn’t listed as a note) and musk.You can find this at Truworths, Stuttafords and Dis-chem for 90ml for R1295 and 40ml for R845.

• Katy Perry’s mad potion EDP

This is the latest release from Katy Perry. The campaign is really interesting Katy puts a flying kitty, dice, stars and moon in her magic hat to create mad potion. The bottle is shaped as a potion bottle with frosted glass and purple elixir to give it a glowing effect. The colour scheme kind of reminds me of Cheshire cat from Alice in wonderland with the purple and black stripes on the neck of the bottle.

Described as a spell binding oriental musk, mysterious, playful and fun. Even the bottle is more playful than her previous fragrance “killer queen” which indicates maybe she is appealing to a younger audience.

Notewise the top notes consist of Tahitian vanilla orchid, apple musk and pink peonies, in the heart you will find Madagascar bourbon vanilla, creamy musk and jasmine petals, the base settles with notes of Mexican vanilla bean absolute, magical musk and glowing amber. Katy Perry must really love vanilla as she put it in all the levels of the fragrance which is probably why it smells like vanilla with a hint of jasmine. It smells very sweet and creamy ( from all the vanilla) almost chocolatey (which probably comes from the musk).  For me personally it is too sweet to wear on it’s own as it makes me feel like I’ve been locked in a candy store however because it is such a pure scent that doesn’t have much notes going on it gives it the ability to be layered with other fragrances to give it more sweetness and warmth, in a way the name mad potion is fitting as you get to play around with it layering it with other scents to create your own cocktail, although I doubt that was Katy’s intention.You can find this at Clicks, Edgars, Foschini, Dis-chem and leading pharmacies nationwide for R425 for 30ml or R495 for 50ml.